It is September 12 – eight days earlier, Iga Świątek loses to Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals of the US Open. The Polish woman does not want to take a break, even though she hears such prompts. He is getting ready for tournaments in Asia, where he wants to defend number one in the world ranking. But that day she receives an e-mail, after reading which she understands that a much more important battle awaits her. After receiving information about the positive result of the anti-doping test, Świątek understands that now she will have to defend her good name. Initially, she has no idea how to go about it, because she has absolutely no idea how the banned substance could have found its way into her body.
Watch the video Iga Świątek: It was a huge blow for me
ITIA, the International Tennis Integrity Agency, only reports that trimetazidine was detected in her body and that it took place on August 12 in a sample taken in Cincinnati.
Świątek doesn't even know what trimetazidine is. She and her entire staff are analyzing what medications and supplements she was taking. They check everything, although Iga mainly remembers that she couldn't sleep on the night of August 12. Around three o'clock she swallowed a tablet of medicine containing melatonin. He has been using it for years, on doctor's recommendation. She was assured long ago that it was safe and that the medicine did not contain any prohibited substances. But Iga sends this vial for testing and it turns out that the entire batch from which the vial came was factory-contaminated with trimetazidine.
Expert opinions and a number of independent tests clearly confirm that contact with the banned substance was completely unintentional, accidental and had no impact on the tennis player's form. But before this can be established beyond any doubt, so much time passes that Iga cannot play in tournaments in Seoul, Beijing and Wuhan due to suspension during the proceedings. The athlete hopes that she will make it to at least the last one mentioned. He rebooks plane tickets several times, waits until the last minute, but must confirm his presence to the organizers on October 4 at the latest. Ultimately, she cancels her arrival because she is still suspended. It is suspended a day later, and I receive information about it shortly after I could finally register to play in Wuhan.
Splitting hairs helped Iga Świątek
This is not the first and not the last race against the clock that Świątek has run in recent weeks. Anti-doping officers interrogated her many times. They did not give up even when she was allowed to return to the game – at the Billie Jean King Cup in Malaga, the tennis player was questioned for over three hours. There was no time for proper training – everything happened the day before the first match between the Poles and the Spanish. But both Iga and her team keep repeating that no inconvenience mattered since their good name was at stake.
To defend them, Świątek flew to France for anti-doping tests. Because it is in the hair that traces of doping persist the longest, and after analyzing the hair – one could say by splitting hairs – scientists can tell whether someone is guilty or not.
In the case of Świątek, this splitting of hairs was just a dot on the i. The numbers were already telling in the email from ITIA on September 12 – the concentration of trimetazadine of only 0.05 ng/ml is a trace concentration. It was known in advance that the temporary suspension imposed on Iga was to give her time to prove her innocence, and not to give time for inspectors to find evidence against the tennis player.
Świątek wanted to warn other tennis players against this drug. She couldn't
The negative results of all her remaining tests throughout her career and this year were also a strong signal of the Pole's innocence. And this year there were over 20 such tests. Soon, Iga's temporary suspension was lifted, thanks to which she could play in the WTA Finals and the Billie Jean King Cup finals. But the tennis player and her team were still not allowed to report on the proceedings. Everyone can comment on the case only from Thursday, November 28, i.e. from the day ITIA announced that the proceedings had ended and the Pole was leaving with a symbolic one-month suspension. Of which, 22 days of this suspension are already behind her, and the remaining eight days are counted from now, so it does not matter because there are no tournaments taking place now.
It can be said that Świątek comes out of the whole situation unscathed, but also under enormous stress. He is also facing it now, waiting for public opinion's reaction. In anti-doping proceedings, it is extremely easy to label athletes as doping players or cheaters. Anyone who wants to know the truth in the case of Świątek will learn it – Iga and her staff come out with a clear message.
In the seven-minute video, Świątek focuses not only on presenting his difficult story step by step, but also on emotions. She expresses hope that she will not be left alone. It's clear that he needs support and human understanding. It's hard not to show it when you know that:
- In a very short time, the athlete provided both hair samples and all the medications and supplements she uses to reputable laboratories.
- two independent laboratories confirmed the presence of trimetazidine in one of the drugs used by Iga, which in Poland and other European Union countries is classified as an “OTC drug”, i.e. available in pharmacies without a prescription. But Iga used it based on the doctor's recommendation. This drug is widely available and recommended for tennis players and athletes in general due to frequent changes in time zones and the resulting problems with falling asleep and sleep quality.
- the contamination of the drug was also confirmed by an independent laboratory accredited by WADA – this test was commissioned independently by ITIA to confirm the results of the tests of two independent laboratories in which the samples provided by the athlete were analyzed. Moreover, an independent laboratory confirmed the contamination of drug samples from both the packaging used by Świątek and from a factory-sealed bottle of the same batch tested for comparative purposes. The purchase of the drug in a factory-sealed package, from the same batch, and subjecting it to laboratory tests were a favorable circumstance in the ITIA's opinion, because they proved factory contamination of the entire batch of this drug
- Świątek, knowing about the contamination of the entire batch of this drug, wanted to warn other tennis players whom she knew were using this drug. However, she could not do this due to the confidential nature of the proceedings
It was exceptionally bad luck
Finally, ITIA analyzed the hair samples, which did not show the presence of any banned substances in Iga's body. This is proof that Świątek did not take even the smallest therapeutic dose of a prohibited substance. This means that it is certain that she did not use any doping, and this substance was found in her body unintentionally and accidentally. The medicine that Iga took at 3 a.m. on August 12 was so contaminated that the anti-doping test would probably have been negative if the controller had taken the sample not at seven, but at eight or even nine.
It is also worth emphasizing that Iga was checked twice just before Cincinnati, at the Olympic Games in Paris. And twice right after the tournament in Cincinnati, including at the US Open. Iga's team calculated that from 2021 to today, the athlete has been tested over 50 times, and this year over 20 times. And all the tests were negative.
– I have been a scientific consultant in doping matters for many years. After analyzing the test results, data on the results of numerous other checks of the athlete and other information, I was clearly convinced of her innocence from the beginning. The concentration of the substance in the urine sample is extremely low, and the negative result of the analysis of the athlete's hair sample confirmed that she had not ingested trimetazidine in an amount corresponding to even the smallest single therapeutic dose of this substance – comments Dr. Andrzej Pokrywka, an expert who has been cooperating with POLADA for years.
– Identification of the source of contamination, which in this case was a drug permitted for, or even recommended for, athletes, especially those who travel frequently, change time zones and are exposed to the so-called jet lag is another proof that the anti-doping system needs to be updated. Taking into account the current state of scientific knowledge and due to the high sensitivity of laboratory analyses, in this case there should be an acceptable level of trimetazidine in biological samples of athletes, taking into account the possibility of contamination, in order to avoid precisely situations in which the innocence of the athlete in the light of scientific evidence should not be cast any doubt – adds Pokrywka.
Świątek has been using this medicine for years and has never had any problems with it. Generally, Iga uses only medicines and supplements of recognized brands, the use of which is recommended by both a doctor and a motor preparation trainer. Both are trained and have experience in leading athletes and are aware of the responsibilities of athletes. The composition of all medicines and supplements used by Iga, declared by manufacturers, is regularly checked for banned substances.
Świątek was suspended for a month, and the Czech woman for six months. We know why
In the whole situation, it is a blessing in disguise that the medicine Iga took was contaminated, and not, for example, a supplement. In another case investigated by ITIA, Czech tennis player Nikola Bartunkova, the test for trimetazidine resulted in a six-month suspension because it entered the athlete's body through a supplement – which has a higher risk of contamination and the player should be aware of the risks of supplementation. Świątek, when using the drug, naturally trusted the much stricter restrictions that drugs are subject to in comparison to dietary supplements.
The mere one-month suspension imposed on Świątek also proves that the ITIA concluded that there was a minimal violation in this case, which would be very difficult to prevent. Or speaking humanly: which could not have been prevented. The suspension is the result of the fact that the athlete simply bears the risk for even such minor, non-culpable offenses.
It is also a blessing in disguise that Świątek has resources, funds and a team of dedicated people. Someone lower ranked and simply less wealthy would not be able to afford to send all the drugs and nutritional supplements for testing to laboratories in France, among others, or to go there for hair tests, etc. And the deadlines for proving that the prohibited substance entered the athlete's body accidentally , are short. Here you need to be able to act decisively. No matter the cost.
Related News :